The following article is written by Intern Jewels of the 420Nurses who will soon be a new writer for News.420Nurses.com.

History:
Cannabis has been around for a very long time. It has been in written history since B.C. times and is recorded as being used as Traditional Chinese Medicine aka TCM.

Cannabis is one of the fifty fundamental herbs of TCM and is/was used to treat an array of diverse symptoms. Cannabis, called má, means “hemp; Cannabis; numbness” in Chinese, and was used by the Emperor Shen Nung, who was a pharmacologist. He wrote a book on treatment methods in 2737 B.C., and was the first to include the medical benefits of Cannabis. Shen Nung was concerned with the failings of shamanism, and studied the properties of Chinese plants, often using himself as a test subject. He recommended a hemp elixir that was likely a tea of leaves and flowers.

The “Pen Ts’ao Ching” was compiled in 1 A.D., based on traditions from the time of Shen Nung and is known as the oldest pharmacopoeia, or herbal reference book. In it, Cannabis is recommended for more than 100 ailments, including gout, rheumatism, malaria and absentmindedness. Centuries later, a Chinese medical text described the use of marijuana to treat vomiting, parasitic infections, and hemorrhages.

Hua Tuo lived much later (140-208 A.D.), yet he is credited with being the first person to use Cannabis as an anesthetic. The Chinese term for anesthesia is also composed of the Chinese character that means hemp, followed by the means of intoxication. He dried and powdered the plant, mixing it with wine for internal and external administrations. Hua Tuo performed surgeries to remove diseased tissues with local and systemic administration of his Cannabis wine anesthetic and acupuncture to control the pain. It is said Hua Tuo was likely using the stronger Indian hemp or strains higher in CBD during these procedures.

Jumping forward in time a bit,

The United States of America was practically made via using hemp as a cash crop.

Our forefathers, Thomas Jefferson and our 1st president Gen George Washington grew hemp and believed in its benefits. My ancestors, the Native Americans, also grew marijuana, not as a “cash crop” but as use for medicine and enjoyment. Although the Declaration of Independence was written on parchment paper, it is likely drafts were written on hemp paper which was popular in that era.

Both Jefferson and Washington traded seeds and plants with other farmers regularly. Jefferson wrote of receiving hemp seedlings from someone in Missouri, and it would have been only neighborly to send some Virginia seedlings back. Washington and Jefferson weren’t merely marijuana farmers, they were marijuana dealers. Note in the 1700 and 1800’s there was no social stigma attached to smoking pot because it wasn’t until the 1900’s marijuana was considered a ‘problem.’ So there is a likeliness that our forefathers smoked cannabis. Washington can be quoted in his diary August 7th, 1765 “Began to separate the Male from the Female hemp … rather too late.” Although there are no contemporary accounts suggesting either Washington or Jefferson ever indulged in, advocated, or even mentioned smoking pot, I personally like to think they did!

Did you know: ANYTHING made from hydrocarbon fossil fuels, could be made from organic carbohydrates! “Henry Ford’s first Model-T was built to run on hemp gasoline and the car itself was constructed from hemp. On his large estate, Ford was photographed among his hemp fields. The car, ‘grown from the soil,’ had hemp plastic panels whose impact strength was 10x stronger than steel” — Popular Mechanics (1941)

Henry ford is quoted saying “Why use up the forests which were centuries in the making and the mines which required ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the hemp fields?” <- Smart man right there!

Now that you know a few fun facts and some History, lets talk Benefits of Hemp:

-Hemp as a biofuel: ANYTHING made from hydrocarbon fossil fuels, could be made from organic carbohydrates! Hemp is Earth’s number-one biomass resource; it is capable of producing 10 tons per acre in four months. Biomass can be converted to methane, methanol, or gasoline at a cost comparable to petroleum, and hemp is much better for the environment. Pyrolysis (charcoalizing), or biochemical composting are two methods of turning hemp into fuel.

Hemp produces 10x more ethanol than corn, and the use of hemp is a clean alternative to using petroleum which causes acid rain due to sulfur pollution. Just as corn can be converted into clean-burning ethanol fuel, so can hemp. Because hemp produces more biomass than any plant species (including corn) that can be grown in a wide range of climates and locations, hemp has great potential to become a major source of ethanol fuel. What is a biofuel? Biofuel is any fuel derived from relatively recently-dead biological material. Biofuels are used to power vehicles, heat corn-stoves, and cooking stoves.

Let’s not forget that hemp can also be used to make fabrics, ropes, paper, plastics, food, and soil! Wow, so many benefits it’s amazing!!!!!

Benefits of Cannabis:

CBD oil has been shown to work as an anti-inflammatory and also to stop the mutation and growth of cancerous cells.

Marijuana helps with alleviating pain, decreasing nausea, and stimulating the appetite of cancer patients. Cannabis has been shown to help treat glaucoma, potentially reverse carcinogenic effects of tobacco and improve lung health, help control epileptic seizures, and to decrease anxiety. It eases pain associated with multiple sclerosis, and arthritis. Certain types of muscle spasms respond to Cannabis ex. myoclonus.

Parkinson’s disease tremors are soothed by Cannabis and for patients suffering from the conditions sleep is improved. It lessens side effects from treating hepatitis C and increases treatment effectiveness. (86% of patients using marijuana successfully completed their Hep C therapy, while only 29% of non-smokers completed their treatment)

Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis also benefit because shown in a 2010 Nottingham University study, THC and Cannabidiol interact with cells in the body that play an important role in gut function and immune responses. Also auto-immune illnesses such as Lupas’ symptoms have been shown to be lessened by cannabis.

Another Nottingham study concluded marijuana protects the brain after a stroke by reducing the size of the affected area and there are also more studies conclusive with marijuana working to protect the brain after a head trauma such as a concussion. Cannabis is also associated with a higher metabolism, Cannabis smokers were found to be thinner than the average person and have a higher metabolism and healthier reaction to sugars. (even though the munchies leave us eating up the whole kitchen so screw it eat that extra piece of cake guilt free! yw)

Disorders like alcoholism involve disruptions in the endocannabinoid system. Because of that, some people think cannabis might help patients struggling with those disorders. Research in the Harm Reduction Journal shows that many people use marijuana as a less harmful substitute for alcohol, prescription drugs, and other illegal drugs. Some of the most common reasons for patients to make that substitution are the less adverse side effects from marijuana and the fact that it is less likely to cause withdrawal problems. Marijuana also treats PTSD and more! It has also been shown to increase creativity!

Contrary to stoner stereotypes, marijuana usage has actually been shown to have some positive mental effects, particularly in terms of increasing creativity. Even though people’s short-term memories tend to function worse when high, people get better at tests requiring them to come up with new ideas. A study testing participants on their ability to come up with different words related to a concept, found using cannabis allowed people to come up with a greater range of related concepts, seeming to make the brain better at detecting those remote associations that lead to radically new ideas. Other researchers have found that some participants improve their “verbal fluency,” their ability to come up with different words, while using marijuana. Part of this increased creative ability may come from the release of dopamine in the brain, which lessens inhibitions and allows people to feel more relaxed, giving the brain the ability to perceive things differently.

It amazes me that some people out there still see no value associated with cannabis and hemp! If you have made it to here thanks for viewing this blog and I hope you enjoyed the read! If you did be sure to add me as a friend and #bemyfan ♥ One Love, Namaste!